Just A Day
by AzhureSapphire
Summary: What can one determined Menodix and Velbaysian do to Sophia's spotless kitchen? This is Sophia's thought process. And Nel realizes she's better with people than she thought.


**Okay, this is my second fanfic. My first being Hunger Pains. I would like to thank one spongeGuetta for her review. She's the first and she really boosted my confidence in putting this one up. I kind of hope she reads this one as well.**

**And this is not a song fic. I honestly just couldn't think of a better title.**

**Also, I know I forgot to put the disclaimers on my first one. If any one was upset my apologies. I'm a noob when posting so do forgive my early transgressions.**

**If I write a fanfiction for it I do not own it. My plot's are not that complex.**

**Without further ado I give you:**

**Just A Day **

Sophia blinked in surprise at the pleading looks in the eyes of her two young charges. It took a few minutes before the words sunk in as well as the panic.

"You wanna run that by me again?" She asked, hoping that maybe she had heard wrong because it sounded like they meant it.

They both gave a long-suffering sigh and Peppita spoke slowly, "Roger said that he was a better cook than me because that's what men do."

"They are!" Came the automatic hiss to which Peppita glared hotly at the young Menodix before she turned back to Sophia, "I told him that I could cook better than he could because my aunt taught me how and she's an amazing cook."

Sophia smiled slightly at the mentioning of Peppita's family and bemoaned the distance between her own. Did she sound as revered as Peppita did when she spoke of her Aunty Ryoko?

'More than likely.'

Sophia glanced around the sparkling kitchen that she had just cleaned. While she would not appreciate the mess she understood Peppita's need to prove herself an equal. That and Roger would never let it go, forever taunting the girl who could just as easily slug him across the room.

She sighed and made a choice, "Alright," She said hand on her hips in full future house wife mode, "What do you have in mind?"

The two pre-teens grinned and spoke as one, "Cookies!"

Sophia breathed a sigh of relief. Cookies were fairly simple. She could do this with minimum amount of mess made. 'And hopefully before the others get back.'

Just in case she double checked for a fire extinguisher.

A half hour later she was beginning to seriously reconsider this little venture. Her eyes narrowed at the two cowering before her as she reigned in her temper.

Covered head to toe in flower she thought they looked like little ghosts. Mischievious ones at that.

She grimaced as she saw herself in one of the windows and knew she looked a sight. Flour in her hair and batter pelting her new clothes. Her new expensve clothes that Fayt had only allowed her to get after much cajoling on her part.

She opened her mouth to speak just as the door opened and Fayt came in closely followed by Cliff. They took one look at the small hotel kitchen before they quickly left ignoring the pleading eyes of the two already in Sophia's angry glare.

Outside in the hall the two grown men leaned against the wall as Sophia's angry shout echoed out to them and both winced at the sheer magnitude of ferocity in the mild tempered young woman's voice.

Fayt who had been on the recieving end of quite a bit of those felt sorry for the two youngest members of their group.

Beside him Cliff sighed and leaned his head back, "Wanna get something to eat?"

Fayt pondered this for a brief moment before the door burst open and a short blur of color vanished down the hall with Roger shouting from the doorway, "Peppita! Come back! You can't make me do this on my own!"

A very short and curt, "Roger S. Huxeley you come in here and clean this kitchen!"

Roger looked like he briefly considered going after Pepita but Cliff moved in front of him, "Now, you heard the lady. A real man doesn't show any fear."

Roger, who after glaring at the grappler promptly shut the door in his face.

Cliff frowned, "Now how's that for gratitude?"

Nel sighed and frowned at the wide space around her. Bright flowers here and there along a sidewalked path and bright green grass shimmered in the mid afternoon sun. It remined her of Aquaria. Of how it used to be before Airyglyph invaded.

It ruined the almost peacefulness around her so she brushed it off and simply enjoyed the breeze blowing through the trees, the faint humming of bees and the quiet chirping of birds.

The dull sobbing heard on the wind...

Her eyes opened wide upon recognizing that sound and her fists clenched. 'I swear if Albel's said one more thing to her!'

It had been nearly two months since Albel's and Peppita's last confrontation. Nel was still snickering at the look on his face as he stared at the apple.

Since then Albel had made his displeasure at the young girl known through little snide comments and cruel remarks.

Nel was hard pressed not too admire the young girl for taking it and giving back through her bright smiles and big heart. Her sometimes mature veiw on the world surprised her on several occasions that Nel forgot how old the girl actually was.

'And speaking of..' Nel fought a smile at the sobbing girl's flour covered attire which only made her stand out more than her bright clothes ever could. Of course her face was a mess with tear tracks trailing paths down her face.

Nel cleared her throat unsure of how to proceed. She was never good at comforting people, "Peppita? You alright?"

The sobs stopped when Peppita lifted her face towards the Aquarian red-head. A fake smile slipped wetly across her face as she used a white hankerchief and dried her eyes, "Oh, yeah! Just-just got some flour in my eyes."

Nel gave a nod not buying it for a minute and sat down next to the sad girl-child anyways.

For a minute they sat in silence as Peppita's hands twisted with the confines of her napkin and finally sighed, "Sophia yelled at me. And Roger."

All thoughts of murdering Albel flew out of her head in shock. The only person she had ever seen Sophia yell at was Fayt and those were extremely mild. Surely not anything that would cause the young fighter beside her to cry. "What happened?"

Here Peppita fell silent and quickly glanced at Nel who rigidly kept her gaze at the bay beyond them, squinting at the sun shining off the water.

Slowly Peppita had begun to tell her what had caused Sophia to lose her temper.

Nel couldn't blame her and she told Peppita so.

The young white-haired girl finally nodded, "Yeah, I know, but..."

Nel raised an eyebrow as Peppita looked around making sure they were alone before turning back to her confidant, "But, I think she secretly had fun."

To which the red head didn't know what to say. Peppita carried on looking at her shoes, "Everyone seems to forget that life is too short and it shouldn't be wasted." She shook her head, "I mean, what we're doing is dangerous, life threatening on many occasions but Sophia's so stuck-up." Peppia's eyes glimmered to gold with frustrated determination, "And that's all we were trying to do was let her loosen up a bit."

Nel sighed and was about to say something when Peppita stood, "Obviously we handled it wrong." She nodded her head coming to a decision of some sort and brought her fists close to her chest in a jerky move, "Right! I'm gonna apologize and help Roger clean."

She turned back to bemused red-head and smiled brightly, "Thanks for cheering me up, Nel." Then with a jaunty wave the Fairy of Illusions disappeared the way she had come.

Nel shook her head and laid down at the grass marveling at the young girl. 'Maybe I'm better with people than I thought.'

With that thought she shut her eyes and relaxed thinking of her own comforts at home and felt calm.

Fin


End file.
